


Of Gods and Monsters, Fragment e6,1: Early November, 2077

by bzarcher, solarbird



Series: Of Gods and Monsters [20]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Acceptance, Autistic Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani, Canon Lesbian Character, Conditioning, Ethics, F/F, Fucked Up, Gender Identity, Hacking, Identity, Memories, Memory Alteration, Nanites, Oasis (Overwatch), Other, Past Brainwashing, Revelations, Self-Acceptance, Surgery, Talon Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Talon Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani, Talon!Mercy, Talon!Symmetra, Technobabble, Trans Character, Trans Sombra (Overwatch), Unreliable Narrator, Utopaea (Overwatch), biohacking, principles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-04 17:06:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14597670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bzarcher/pseuds/bzarcher, https://archiveofourown.org/users/solarbird/pseuds/solarbird
Summary: Moira O’Deorain has won. Her rivals within Talon destroyed, her trio of loyal Weapons - the Changed and copper-eyed Tracer, the silver-eyed Oilliphéist, and golden-eyed Widowmaker - at her command, to remake the world.Sombra discovers something she didn't know could be done can, in fact, be done, so, as always - she does it.This story - a side-step/alternate-ending sequel toThe Armourer and the Living Weapon- will be told in a series of eddas, sagas, fragments, texts, and cantos, all of which serve their individual purposes. To follow it as it appears,please subscribe to the series.





	Of Gods and Monsters, Fragment e6,1: Early November, 2077

"Well," Angela said, "the first round of nanites seem to have been adopted well. Have you had any problems talking to them?"

Sombra shook her head, no. "Nah. Their language is pretty simple if you don't need to give them medical instructions. They're telling my systems everything is good."

"Excellent."

Moira checked a few readings of her own. "By the way, dear - if you ever want to carry a child, or just want to stop having to futz around with estradiol patches, we can fix that."

Angela laughed lightly at Sombra’s stunned expression. "I’m surprised you didn’t make that change yourself. Compared to everything else you put yourself through, it’s... frankly, it's trivial.”

The hacker glared, though still confused. “I was a _little_ busy.... wait. What?"

"Duplicating an X chromosome as an inactive Barr body is hardly a challenge, and you regrew far more tissue in the nervous system upgrades than this would require."

Sombra stared at the two doctors. "I was... I... I didn't even think of it. It's been so long. I mean, I was _five_ when I said no, mamá, I won't... I... you can do that?!"

“If you wish," Moira said. "Yes. We can do that. Would you allow us to sedate you this time?”

"Oh no," smirked the hacker. "No deal."

“Lena and Satya can both sit in if you’d like,” Angela said.

"Nope."

“You really are truly disposed to be difficult,” Moria said, glaring.

"Yep. And proud of it, amiga."

"It's not complicated, but it _will_ be highly unpleasant, if you're awake."

"I made it through to here, I could make it through this."

Angela sighed. “Lena will be very upset. If you must do it the hard way yet again, you might want to speak with her beforehand. And I _insist_ you at least let us engage a spinal pathway block to cut the pain. It won't be entirely effective, now, but it will help."

Sombra looked down and thought about it, and remembered what she could of her voyage through hell. Did she really want to put herself... _yes_ , she knew. Yes. She did. _Well, that was easy. But Lena really will be mad all over again._

"Yeah," she said, looking back up, "I don't need her giving me the copper eyes of rage every movie night for another year. I'll talk to her."

"Thank _god_ ," Moira murmured under her breath. "She's quite insufferable when she's in a mood."

"Yes," Angela said dryly. "I've no idea where she gets that from."

Moira tilted her head, and some small part of her couldn't quite see how you'd get there, but most of her - all that mattered - knew _exactly_ how, and she allowed herself a smile, and even, after a moment, a small laugh. "Well. You... perhaps you have a point. I did my best."

"I know, dear."

 _She... really believes Lena was her kid,_ Sombra realized, careful to keep her shock from reaching her expression. _That's... **interesting**_.

"So..." she said, dodging the question she could not ask, "how long do you need to set this up, anyway?"

"Oh, not long at all," Angela said. "With all the work you've already done, and the inactive state of your existing Y chromosomes, we'll just have to duplicate your existing X as Barr bodies and break up the Ys. We could prepare that in... a day?"

Moira nodded. "An hour to set up. A little longer to generate and validate the retrovirals. The lower abdominal regrowth will take longer, but with accelerated regeneration... three additional days?"

"Longer if she insists upon being awake," Angela noted in with a little bit of a sing-song.

"Ah, yes. Four. Five, if you want... something close to manageable pain."

"I hate to sound crude - ah, who am I kidding, I love to sound crude - but I'm not gonna have any loss of _sensation_ , right?"

Moira stiffened to her full height, mildly outraged. "What sort of a butcher do you think I am?"

Angela waved it away with a dismissive snort. "Oh, my goodness, no, we don't have to regrow _that_ \- although there will be some internal changes. Mostly, I'm talking your uterine tract."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!"

"I should _think_ so," Moira replied primly.

"It's kind of important to me! And to my girlfriend!"

"Don't worry - I'll handle that part," Angela leaned forward, conspiratorily. "It's not her field."

"We should include the voluntary fertility rework, shouldn't we?" Moira realised.

"Ah," Angela agreed. "Of course."

"Voluntary..."

"We've all adopted that," Angela said, "even Lena. None of us really _like_ having periods, so... now we don't have to."

"...doc, I think I'm in love."

"It'll add another couple of days, though. You really should consider sedation."

"Why?"

"...Olivia, we are _growing you new ovaries._ "

"No, I mean, why two more days?"

"Ah," Moira said, "we'll have to make more actual changes to your genetics - not just duplicate what's already there, and eliminate the unnecessary. It means a larger dose of retrovirals. The fevers will be worse, and it will take longer."

"Gotcha."

"Well," Moira said, turning off her scanners. "We're done here. I'm sure you'll want some time to think..."

"Nope!" the hacker said. "Let's get this going. What do you need from me?"

"We already have all the samples we could want - I'd say... nothing. Let us know if you come to your senses and will let yourself be sedated."

"Won't happen, doc." _At least **one** person in this asylum has to stay in contact with reality._ "But pain blockers... that, I'll take."

"It'll have to do."

\-----

"I do not understand," Satya said, frowning, draped across the large, soft couch, next to her hacker, finally home with her again. "After everything you went through to avoid letting them work on you, you are going to do let them do this, now? Why?"

"Because I want to," Sombra replied, resting against the couch's comfortably upholstered arm, pillows stacked, plush and thick. "I always have. I'd've done it years ago, if I could've. But don't worry, it's not nearly so big a change this time. And I'll be awake for it again, just like before."

"But you are fine as you are," Satya said, tenderly, nuzzling into Sombra's hand, Sombra - Olivia - taking hers, and doing the same. _How does something so simple feel so **good**..._ she thought, lost in the feeling for a moment.

But she reclaimed her focus, and grinned. "I'm more than, fine - I'm the best in the world," she said, laughing, a little. "But that doesn't mean I can't be better."

"But you do not need this to be _better_ ," Satya insisted. "Not to me."

Sombra shook her head, gently. "You don't understand. Did you ever wonder what got me into hacking?"

Satya hummed, thinking about the question. "You have told me many times how much you love it," she replied, after a moment. "The way you describe dancing through code and machine reminds me of dancing through my designs. It is what first attracted me to you. But... I think I have thought of you as having always been a hacker, somehow, sui genesis."

"You're not wrong - I have been," Sombra replied, amethyst-gold eyes glinting. "Everything can be hacked... and every **one**." She looked into her lover's eyes, pride on her face. "And I know that because I started with _me_."

The architech's eyes flashed, admiration on her face. "Ah, fixing your body to match yourself..."

"Hacking it 'til it really was mine," the trickster grinned. "I know more about this than I let on, _princesa_. But don't tell the doctors."

"Never," Satya murmured, leaning in, nuzzling at her lover's neck, "my _priyamina_. Your secrets are safe, with me."

\-----

"You're a bloody idiot," Lena said, holding Sombra's hand as she moaned, the fourth day almost over. Her shoulders squirmed, but everything below her chest remained immobile, tented, held solidly in appropriate places by medical equipment and paralytics. Satya had been there throughout - until just a few hours before - but a critical project had called her away for several hours.

"C'mon, luv, it's _mum_. And bird mom. It would've been fine, and you wouldn't have to go through all _this_."

 _You believe it too_ , the hacker thought, as she sweated out the worst of it, calmed a bit by her friend's touch. _I wish you didn't. I'd've let them sedate me, if you didn't... but you do. So I can't._ "Call it a matter of principle," she managed, between breaths.

Tracer snorted. "Like you have..." And she stopped. "Nah, luv, sorry. That's cheeky of me. Y'do."

"I," the hacker gasped, "I have what?"

"Principles. Wouldn't've believed it a year ago, but... y'do. I respect that."

"Thanks - AH!" she gasped, a cluster of new nerves connecting, electric pain running through her system. "That one hurt. A lot."

"You asked for it." She smiled. "But at least this time, you're not doin' it alone."

"Yeah." The hacker managed a little laugh, as she desperately ignored itching she couldn't reach, much less scratch. "Y'know, rápida... sometimes... having principles kind of sucks."

**Author's Note:**

> To follow this story, [subscribe to the series via this link](https://archiveofourown.org/series/972024), rather than to the individual eddas or sagas.


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